Electrical connecting tool



1964 w. R. OVER ETAL 3,143,790

ELECTRICAL CONNECTING TOOL Filed June 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEI JTORS' Uflham R. Over BY erbefi Rosensren John RVucker J1- MQ. W1 4.43;

1, 1964 w. R. OVER ETAL 3,143,790

ELECTRICAL CONNECTING TOOL Filed June 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 1 10H m m H m INVENTOR$ bJiHiam R. Over BY Herberz Rosenqvren John R. \(mkerv United States Patent 3,143,790 ELECTRICAL CONNECTING TOOL William R. Over, Union Deposit, Pa., Herbert Rosengren, Woodclilf Lake, N.J., and John R. Vickery, Jr., York, Pa., assignors to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed June 4, 1959, Ser. No. 818,175 3 Claims. (Cl. 29-203) It is frequently necessary to employ a disconnectable electrical connection which has a high tensile strength. Such connections are so constructed that a relatively high unit pressure is required to insert a plug into the female connector. This can occasion a disconnect force of equal or substantially greater magnitude. A connector of this type is set forth in copending application, Serial No. 772,000, filed (now abandoned), in the name of Kenneth J. Arkwright, entitled Helical Disconnect.

It is an object of this invention to provide a hand tool which may be used to connect or disconnect an electrical connection of the type set forth above.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but is given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 represents a front plan view of a tool embodying the invention herein, showing it in an initial position for connecting or disconnecting an electrical connector;

FIGURE 2 s a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing the tool in its final position;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view similar to FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the connector shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the tool includes a pair of bifurcated handles and 12 commonly pivoted by a pin 14. A spring 16 normally urges the handles to open position. The head portion of the handle 10 includes a yoke-like construction defining a pair of arms 18 and 20. The arms taken in combination with handle 10 constitute a Y-shaped member. The other handle 12 has a quadrilateral head 22 which intersects the angle formed by the Y-shaped handle 10.

A carriage 24 is pivotally secured to the arm 18 of the handle 10 by means of a pivot pin 26. The carriage 24 comprises a flat plate 25 with an elongated slot 28 in the plate 25, which permits a fixed pin 30 on the head 22 to slide therein to form a lost motion connection. A pair of fingers 32, 32' on one end of the carriage, projecting at right angles to the plate 25, oppose a similar pair of fingers 34, 34' positioned on the head 22. These fingers are adapted to receive an electrical connector (see FIG- URE 4) in such a manner as to pry it apart.

A similar carriage 36 with a plate 37 is secured to the arm 20 of the handle 10 by pivot pin 38. An elongated slot 40 in the plate 37 in the carriage 36 retains a fixed pin 42 secured to the head 22 to provide another lost motion connection. Fingers 44, 44 on the carriage mate with fingers 46, 46' on the head 22 to engage a disconnect type connector (FIGURE 4) for assembling it. The fingers 34 and 46 on the head 22 are at substantially right angles to each other. Each of these fingers cooperate with "ice similar fingers on the respective carriages to provide a straight-line sliding action between them. It is noted that the fingers 32 and 34'are positioned so that the distance between them is less than the distance between a pair of flanges on the connector, when the tool is in open position. On the other hand, the fingers 44 and 46 are disposed at a distance which is greater than the flanges on the connector when the handles of the tool are in open position. A pair of adjustable stops 48 cooperate with lugs 50 to control longitudinal travel of the carriages.

In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, the reference numeral 102 denotes the male or pin section of the connector and the numeral 104, the female or receptacle section. The male section comprises a cylindrical pin portion 106 of substantially uniform diameter along its length and having a tapered nose 108 on its end. The opposite end of pin portion 106 merges with a shoulder 110 defined by a conical collar 112. This conical collar defines the end of a wire receiving portion 116 and a second conical collar 114 is also provided adjacent collar 112 for cooperation with the insulating sleeve used with the connector as described below. The portion 116 of the male section is centrally bored at 118 to a diameter sufficient to receive the wire with which the connector is designed to be used, and the open end is bell-mouthed at 120 to facilitate insertion of the wire which may be crimped therein.

The female section 104 comprises a receptacle portion 122 which is internally bored at 124 to receive pin portion 106 and is helically slotted as shown at 128. The open end of bore 124 is enlarged as by a taper shown at 126 to facilitate the alignment of the parts and the insertion of the pin into receptacle portion 122. The wire receiving portion of the female receptacle is similar to that of the male pin and will not be described.

The male pin has a surrounding insulating jacket 138 with a flange or collar 141 adapted to cooperate with the fingers on the assembly tool. The insulating jacket telescopes inside the insulating jacket 136 on the female receptacle which also has a flange or collar 154 for cooperation with the fingers of the assembly tool. Since the internal cooperation of the connector is described in the prior-mentioned application, it will not be repeated here.

Operation-When it is desired to secure two halves of an electrical connector together, each being secured to an electrical conductor, the segments of the connector are placed within the tool so that one end of the connector bears against the fingers 44 and 44', and the other end of the connector is positioned so that it bears against the opposed fingers 46. When the handles 10 and 12 are brought together, the arm 20 moves toward the arm 22, and the carriage 36 is moved so that the slot 40 travels along the fixed pin 42. This drives the fingers 44 and the fingers 46 together in a longitudinal direction. The fingers 44 and 46 drive the two halves of the connector together with a very high degree of thrust to form a friction-tight connection.

Similarly when disconnecting the connectors, the connectors are positioned with the fingers 32 and 34 between the flanges on the connector. Closing the handles 10 and 12 causes the arm 18 and the head 22 to move relatively away from each other. The arm 18, by means of pin 26, takes the carriage 24 along with it. This movement is permitted by the lost motion connection between pin 30 and slot 28. The handles 10, 12 generate a high mechanical advantage so that the fingers 32 and 34 pry the connector apart.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art and various apparently difierent modifications and embodiments may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the fore going description and accompanying drawings is oifered by way of illustration only. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective against the prior art.

We claim:

1. A tool for assembling and disassembling separable connectors including a pair of bifurcated handles, means pivoting said handles together, a yoke-shaped head member rigidly secured to one of said handles, a carriage pivotally secured to one arm of said yoke, means on said carriage adapted to grasp said electrical connector, a second head member disposed on said other handle so as to bisect the angle formed by the yoke, means on the second head member also adapted to grasp a part of said connector, said means on the head member and said means on the carriage being disposed a distance less than the length of the connector in closed position, a second carriage on the other arm of the yoke, means on said second carriage adapted to bear against the connector, a second means on said other head member also capable of bearing against the connector, said second means and said means on said second carriage being normally disposed a distance greater than the length of a connector in open position, whereby the tool is adapted to disassemble the connector When the connector is assembled, or to assemble the connector when the connector is disassembled.

2. The device of claim 1 including means on the second head member having a lost motion connection with the first carriage and also means on a second head member for forming a lost motion connection with said second carriage, whereby the carriages are adapted to travel longitudinally with respect to the head member.

3. A tool of the character described including a pair of bifurcated handles, means pivoting said handles for relative motion, a head member on one end of each of said handles, a first head member on one of said handles having a pair of arms angularly disposed, a second head member on the other of said handles positioned between the arms on the first head member, means on each of said head members for joining or disconnecting a separa-' ble electrical connection, said means comprising a pair of fingers on one arm of the first head member cooperat-' ing with a pair of fingers on the second head member, and a second pair of fingers on the second head member which cooperates with a second pair of fingers on the other arm of the first head member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 505,835 Kulp et a1. Oct. 3, 1893 1,929,163 Diskin et al. Oct. 3, 1933 2,474,844 Hopkins July 5, 1949 2,474,848 Kern July 5, '1949 W. eal-n 

1. A TOOL FOR ASSEMBLING AND DISASSEMBLING SEPARABLE CONNECTORS INCLUDING A PAIR OF BIFURCATED HANDLES, MEANS PIVOTING SAID HANDLES TOGETHER, A YOKE-SHAPED HEAD MEMBER RIGIDLY SECURED TO ONE OF SAID HANDLES, A CARRIAGE PIVOTALLY SECURED TO ONE ARM OF SAID YOKE, MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE ADAPTED TO GRASP SAID ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR, A SECOND HEAD MEMBER DISPOSED ON SAID OTHER HANDLE SO AS TO BISECT THE ANGLE FORMED BY THE YOKE, MEANS ON THE SECOND HEAD MEMBER ALSO ADAPTED TO GRASP A PART OF SAID CONNECTOR, SAID MEANS ON THE HEAD MEMBER AND SAID MEANS ON THE CARRIAGE BEING DISPOSED A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF THE CONNECTOR IN CLOSED POSITION, A SECOND CARRIAGE ON THE OTHER ARM OF THE YOKE, MEANS ON SAID SECOND CARRIAGE ADAPTED TO BEAR AGAINST THE CONNECTOR, A SECOND MEANS ON SAID OTHER HEAD MEMBER ALSO CAPABLE OF BEARING AGAINST THE CONNECTOR, SAID SECOND MEANS AND SAID MEANS ON SAID SECOND CARRIAGE BEING NORMALLY DISPOSED A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF A CONNECTOR IN OPEN POSITION, WHEREBY THE TOOL IS ADAPTED TO DISASSEMBLE THE CONNECTOR WHEN THE CONNECTOR IS ASSEMBLED, OR TO ASSEMBLE THE CONNECTOR WHEN THE CONNECTOR IS DISASSEMBLED. 